A Magical Girl Worth Protecting
by MorningStorm666
Summary: After a much deserved day of relaxing and spending time together, Kyoko's feelings for Sayaka surface when the blue-haired magical girl asks to see where Kyoko is living.


In the seemingly peaceful town of Mitakihara, the sun shone down warmly against the gently sloping grassy hill on which Kyoko and Sayaka lied on their backs, relaxing. The two of them as well as the rest of Mitakihara's residents could only enjoy such a day because the previous day had been spent fighting a slew of witches who had caused a dangerous thunderstorm and flash flooding to appear seemingly out of nowhere in the town.

Sayaka glanced over to see Kyoko take a big bite out of an apple, the third one she had eaten that day. Yet she still bit into it as if she were starving.

"I just treated you to that big lunch and you're already eating again?" Sayaka remarked in amused disbelief, "Do you never get full?"

"I suppose being poor for a significant portion of my childhood made me this way," Kyoko replied, "You never knew when you were gonna eat, so you always ate everything on your plate when you had that chance."

"I suppose that makes sense," Sayaka said.

"Plus I never learned to cook for myself and now that my family's gone, I rarely eat proper meals," Kyoko continued.

A gentle breeze blew through the magical girls' hair as Sayaka paused to reflect for a moment.

"My wish ruined my opportunity to be with the boy I had a crush on," Sayaka said, "But it didn't cause those kinds of problems for me. I can still eat. And I can cook for myself when my parents are away. I guess it's stupid to have been depressed about that when others have been through so much worse."

"You're not stupid, you shouldn't say such things. It was so kind of you to show me around your house earlier and make me a wonderful lunch," Kyoko said graciously.

"It was nothing," Sayaka gave a small laugh, "I owe you. I never thought we'd work together when I first met you, but it's because of your help that I was able to do my job as a magical girl and protect this town."

 _No Sayaka, I owe you. It's because of you that I believe there's something in this world worth protecting again._ The crimson-haired girl sighed wistfully. That was what she _wanted_ to say. She had been a selfish and lonely magical girl for a long time, fighting witches only for the compensation of Grief Seeds, not caring if they killed anyone or not. Then she came to this new town and butted heads with Sayaka. This girl, though inexperienced and lacking in physical talent, had the biggest heart Kyoko had ever seen in a magical girl.

"I still think you're not fit for this job," Kyoko commented, "You're too good a person for it."

That was the closest thing she could think to say without giving away her feelings. What would Sayaka think if she did?

"I still have it good compared to most magical girls," Sayaka smiled, "I have my family, I have my friends. I still get to see everyone I love even if I have to risk my life occasionally. And as long as I have you, I'll never be alone in that regard, either."

"Y-You shouldn't take things so lightly!" Kyoko exclaimed, looking away to conceal a blush.

What strange powers this blue-haired girl had. She could barely survive against Kyoko in combat, but had a way of melting through her brash confidence when it came everyday conversation and other mundane activities.

"Kyoko, that reminds me," Sayaka began curiously, "Where have you been living?"

"I've lived alone in motels, hotels, apartments and the like since I've been a magical girl," Kyoko answered, "It's been a while since I called any place home. I won't lie, it's pretty lonely. But I'm basically an adult in ways a lot of people our age can only dream of. It's not all bad."

Sayaka could see that Kyoko was trying to make herself sound less sad than she actually was about the situation.

"How 'bout I stay over tonight, then?" Sayaka asked.

"Really?" Kyoko's eyes lit up briefly before she forced herself to conceal some of her enthusiasm, "I mean, yeah, I don't see why not. I've got no parents to say 'no' to me." She gave Sayaka her trademark mischievous smile.

The sun was beginning to set, so the girls decided to make their way back to Kyoko's apartment. The rest of Sayaka's family was away for the week, so she didn't need to ask for permission to stay the night at a friend's.

As it turned out, Kyoko lived in one of the most expensive apartment complexes in town, on the fifth floor. Her apartment wasn't particularly big, not as large as Mami's at least. But it was clean and beautiful. Sayaka particularly admired the queen-sized bed placed next to the wall-sized window overlooking Mitakihara's beautiful nocturnal skyline from across the lake. Sayaka lost herself for a moment as she admired the city lights and their reflection in the lake and Kyoko lost herself gazing at Sayaka's awe-struck eyes.

"Kyoko, how do you afford this?" Sayaka asked in admiration and shock.

"Oh, us veteran magical girls have our methods," Kyoko remarked ambiguously.

They each removed their shoes and Sayaka headed over to Kyoko's bed and seated herself on the edge of it to take in an even better view of the city and the lake from the window. Kyoko admired Sayaka's childlike sense of wonder and passionate idealism. She positively adored it. It was something that she herself had lost far too early in life. And even if their fate was sealed as magical girls, Kyoko still wanted to protect Sayaka. To ensure that she wasn't alone in this struggle and to make sure that beautiful sense of wonder and noble idealism would live on until the bitter end.

"Sayaka," Kyoko said gently, positioning herself behind the girl she cared so much about and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes?" Sayaka acknowledged.

"These wishes we make to become magical girls," Kyoko began, her tone doubtful, "They've only caused despair for either of us. We've ultimately gained nothing from them and we'll be subject to the danger of fighting witches for the rest of our lives."

"That's not true," Sayaka said comfortingly, "I feel I've gained something. I've gained the power to protect people. I made someone else's life so much better with my wish. And even if I didn't get what I wanted from that person, I'm over him now because I have…"

Sayaka's voice trailed off as she turned around to gaze into the eyes of Kyoko sitting on the bed behind her.

"Sayaka," Kyoko said softly.

The atmosphere had grown tense. A wonderful sort of tense. Kyoko's feelings reached a critical point and she abandoned her hesitation. She pushed Sayaka gently down so that she was lying on her back, closed her eyes, leaned down, and kissed Sayaka on the lips. By this time, the moon was out. Given that Kyoko had neglected to turn on any lights since the two of them had entered her apartment, it was the only source of illumination for this special moment the two were sharing. Kyoko pulled gently out of the kiss and stared down at Sayaka's bewildered, love-struck face.

It had been so long since she'd felt anything like this, since anything had made her this happy. Kyoko felt her face grow hot as her eyes began to water. She no longer had the desire to, nor the choice of controlling her feelings.

"Sayaka, I want you," Kyoko spoke softly through the tears of bittersweet joy flooding her eyes, "When I met you, I was selfish. Cold. Alone, facing unbelievable monstrosities every night. And no one cared. I didn't think there was anything in this world worth protecting. But you still did, despite everything, all the horror. And now, to me, you're what's worth protecting, Sayaka!"

Kyoko began sobbing almost uncontrollably. It had been so long since she'd let out these kinds of emotions. In this moment, she had to say everything she felt. The need for emotional release was absolute. Sayaka sat up on her knees and allowed Kyoko to cry on her shoulder, embracing her warmly and gently caressing her hair.

"I'm here for you," was all Sayaka could think to say.

"It hurts, not having a family," Kyoko said as her tears finally began to slow somewhat, "Sayaka, I know it's a lot to ask but… I want you to be my everything. Don't ever leave me! I've never been this happy, ever, and I don't want it to end. So please stay."

"I never intended to leave," Sayaka said gently. "Do you love me, Kyoko?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Then I love you, too," Sayaka replied, tightening her embrace, "I only wish I'd known how you felt sooner. I'm happy."

Kyoko collapsed onto the bed, pulling Sayaka down with her. The two of them were now laying in perfect cuddling position. Sayaka decided to pull her in for another deep and affectionate kiss. Kyoko felt her spirits soar ever higher. The immense level of comforting warmth she felt was the only indicator that this wasn't just some very good dream. After pulling out of the kiss, Kyoko and Sayaka stared lovingly into each other's eyes, which had now grown heavy with sleepiness after the excitement had passed.

"Do you just want to stay like this for a bit longer?" Sayaka asked softly.

"Yeah," Kyoko replied quietly, "forever."

"As long as I'm alive, I promise you'll never be alone again," Sayaka said as she shut her eyes and began to welcome a peaceful sleep in the embrace of her partner, "I love you."

"I love you too, Sayaka," Kyoko said, shutting her eyes as well. For the first time since becoming a magical girl, she welcomed the embrace of sleep without despair, fear, or regret.


End file.
